Your favorite classical composers/works?


Due to the recent flood of pop/rock/blues/jazz topics, I thought its about time for a classical topic.
Guess this could be a open forum for all things classical.
Here's a few ideas to touch on.
Future of classical in western culture?
Will the classical/romantic traditionalist composers survive in the comming decades, or will the 20th century composers/stsrting with Debussy, over take the previous classical forms in popularity?
Don't you want your kids to have at least some knowledge and interest in classical? Do you see yourself growing more interested in classical? Why classical has not made a more important impact on western culture, as we witness more money is spent on pop music than classical? In fact here in the states, I'd say more money is spent on all other music forms vs classical.
Does a culture's music reflect its life style and and reveal the culture's attitudes, beliefs, values?
bartokfan
Oh, Bartokfan. Pettersson was a genius. There is no composer that can beat you to death with such humility, passion and elegance. Very intense and not for the weak hearted. Either you love this man or hate him. Needless to say I love him and praise his sacrifice and strength of humanity.
For me, the high points of Telemanns music are very enjoyable but he wrote huge amounts of "wallpaper" as well. Lately I'm getting into Saint-Saens and Edmund Rubbra.
I'm mainly a jazz fan, but I have a few hundred classical CDs- used to be a season ticket holder to LA Symphony (during its doldrums 15 yrs ago). Favorite composers: beethoven, shostakovich and ives. This weekend had john Adams "fearful symetries" on ipod as well as magnatune free classical podcasts (and lots of talk radio, NPR etc).

classical music does not know how to market itself and has a hard time competing with the MTV rap phenomenon. standard rep classical is considered unhip and old fogey to most young people. new composers (adams, schnittke, arvo part, reich, ligeti, etc) get very little airplay or concert programming. so how to you generate new interest and bring in new blood? beats me. classical is likely to die the same slow death that the hi-end audio boutique shop is facing...
For all you R&R/blues/jazz fans looking to get a toe into classical and have been turned off by the popular romantic composers, none of which i am a fan of, except for 3 of Wagner's operas, ck out Pettersson/1911-1980 and Schnittke/1934-1998. Just try one work from each, Pettersson sym 7/BIS, and Schnittke concerto grosso 4/sym 5(the work is both a concerto grosso and a sym)/BIS.
I hope to see some postings next week from at least 3 or 4 of you guys.